CAN A PARTICULAR POLE BE IDENTIFIED?

Yes, the North or South Pole of amagnet can be marked if specified.

It is relatively simple to identifythe poles of a magnet. First, the quickest method is to use another magnet thatis already marked. The North pole of the marked magnet will be attracted to theSouth pole of the unmarked magnet. Second, it is possible to use an even numberof magnets and pinch a string in the middle of the stack and dangle the magnetsso they can freely rotate on the string.

The North pole of the magnets willsettle pointing to the North. This result contradicts the common theory thatopposites attract when discussing the rules of magnetism. However, the namingconvention of the poles is a historical leftover from the time when the poleswere called North-seeking or South-seeking poles. Finally, you can use acompass to identify the poles. The end of the needle that normally points Northwill be attracted to the South pole of the magnet.

We also stock a magnetic poleindicator device to quickly determine the magnets polarity (PD251).This magnetic pole tester provides an instant zero-delay magnetic poleindication. Just press the push button to activate and the tester will indicatethe appropriate magnetic pole via LED’s at once.”